Pickleball and protests: Trump visit stirs up world's largest retirement community

[LetMyPeopleVote]

My sister lived in the Villages a while back. There is a nice group of female professionals who she liked but she is happy to be away.

Link to tweet

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx21k3ln17ko

Since US President Donald Trump returned to office last year, politics have become an increasingly thorny issue in the Villages. The president is due to give a speech at a local rally on Friday, as part of his wider efforts to champion his economic policies with voters ahead of the midterm elections.

The speech has created a buzz in the community for very different reasons. Trump supporters are thrilled and honoured the president is visiting. Democrats - along with other Trump critics - are planning protests. But one thing they all agree on, at this point, is that it's better not to talk about it to each other.

"Everybody does still try to get along," says Maddy Bacher, 63, a Democrat originally from Connecticut. "You want to at least be able to say good morning and how are you and how's the dog.

"But… I find you don't socialise as much, and it's kind of difficult, because everything you do move to talk about might have a political consequence.".....

The community, which was founded in the 1970s, has been a reliable Republican stronghold, voting for Trump in all three of his electoral bids. While its retiree population remains heavily conservative, a whopping No Kings protest against Trump last month turned heads - with nearly 7,000 people participating across two Villages locations, according to local reports.

"Nothing turns out Democrats like Trump," says Democratic Club president Bill Knudson, who moved with his wife to the Villages four years ago. Knudson was "kinda stunned" at how many people appeared at a new members meeting held weeks after the president took office again.

[tanyev]

1. Oh, FFS.

Not everyone, however, has firmly chosen sides. Edward Hannan, 77, acknowledges the importance of the president's visit but won't be going, mostly to avoid the expected hours-long wait and TSA-like screening.

"I disagree with him on many things, but there are certain things that I like," says Hannan, a lawyer. "He has an organisational skill that, frankly, has not been evidenced in many of our American presidents. But, offsetting that, he is very, very aggressive.

[Aristus]

6. They always tell themselves the most ridiculous lies.

It’s like they’re frantically trying to convince themselves that they were justified in voting for him. They don’t have the intellectual depth or morale courage to admit they colossally fucked up.

[Johonny]

7. These people are stupid, period

I'm so sick of hearing about the opinions of morons.

[mcar]

2. There was a large protest by Democrats

Including many who came from my area, one county away.

[a kennedy]

3. I asked a friend if she is going she said no, "too many people". I said yah, hate large gatherings....

She wrote back that she did, back in the day see Clinton when he came to our town, and Bush when he came. We’ve NEVER talked politics. She’s a tennis fan so we do always text during all the tennis tournaments, but never politics. I know her from when we worked together, like, 20 years ago, she worked in the Social Work dept, I was in Marketing, we were friends then…..she and her husband moved to Florida, then to the Villages when they retired…….never remember talking politics back then, so never really knew what her political leanings were.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. trump was an asshole to the Village residents

Link to tweet

[dalton99a]

8. +1

[Vinca]

5. I would rather live in a tent in the forest without bear spray than live in the Villages.